Businessman to cancel MiG fighter eBay deal (Xinhua) Updated: 2006-05-09 14:56
A Chinese businessman wants to claim back the 2,000-U.S. dollar deposit he
put down for a MiG-21 fighter jet he purchased on the Chinese version of
internet auction site eBay as he cannot find a way to ship it to China.
Zhang Cheng, a Beijing businessman, won the auction with a bid of 24,730 US
dollars and has already paid 2,000 dollars.
The plane, retired from the Czech airforce, is now in Lewiston, Idaho, in the
United States. Last flown in 1995, the jet has been inspected by a museum and
found to be in good shape, according to the eBay advert.
But Zhang has consulted with legal experts and has found "it is almost
impossible to ship it back," reports the Beijing Times.
Zhang has attributed criticism for the purchase with some netizens accusing
him of using the purchase to gain fame. Others, however, have said it merely
shows the improved living standards of the Chinese.
"I like to collect valuable items. I have the buying power and my company has
an empty space where I can display the plane," Zhang told the Beijing Times.
The purchase was purely for collection purposes, he added.
A member of eBay's public relations staff said the seller had clearly
confined the destination of the plane to the United States and Canada. But Zhang
clinched the deal under the user name "20020504maryville", which is registered
in the U.S.
Chinese-based eBay's website said that the number of its registered users has
reached 6.9 million and its commodity list has hit more than 10 million items.
eBay in China is a joint venture between EachNet and eBay, which began in
March 2002.
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